Installation without a silent file using puppet

Could you please help, is it possible to do a installation without the silent file using puppet. For example Informatica power exchange doesn't have a silent file, and while manual installation it asks for 3 to 4 inputs for enter and key related info. Kindly suggest is there any possibility for interactive mode without silent file.

Comments

Hi DaryIW,
Thanks for the response, Yes it is through a binary file(tar file) from artifactory. I can get the tar file from artifactory, but during the install it prompts for some inputs. So is it possible to pass those inputs without a silent file?
Thanks for the help.
Thanks,
Mahender

Try it and see if it works on it's own inside of your terminal. If you are running a script that is expecting input of n, y, and 7, try doing something like (printf "n\ny\n7\n" && cat) | some_tool

There are some programs that intentionally make it difficult to insert stdin in that fashion, for those things (like needing to automate the entry of a password into ssh where you can't use keys, or automating a complex menu interaction for configuring a network device) I usually reach for Expect. I have written two different articles on using the tool (here and here). You may be able to wrangle the install using expect if the normal stdin redirection doesn't work.

As far as all of this in the context of puppet - it would probably be best to manage the tar file from artifactory via the archive module, and then either have either the stdin redirection command or an expect command functioning inside of an exec with appropriate onlyif or unless statements to make it idempotent, or write a custom type and provider to wrap the interaction for performing the install.

Comments

Yes, we need to untar and then run the install script(ask for input) for installation. It doesn't install with untar.
In some of the input it ask for the options like "press continue to install" and asks the path for installation and also for a key. So can we put them as variables and pass them?

'press' continue... does it have a graphical installer, or is it cli? If it's graphical, then I don't know that my advice will help. If it's cli, then as I said above, you should be able to 'pipe' in your commands (which you could configure with an inline_template) and inject into an exec

Hi DaryIW,
Below are the steps which need to be automated without a silent file.
1. Get the tar file from artifactory(I am fine with this)
2. Untarring the tar file(this is also fine).
3. press continue
4. Provide the license key
5. press continue
Please advice on the above.
Thanks,
Mahender